The National Examinations Council (NECO) has issued a stern warning to school owners and stakeholders to refrain from enrolling candidates for its examinations by proxy. This fraudulent practice, the council notes, can lead to identity theft and the issuance of fake results.
In a statement released by Azeez Sani, NECO’s acting Director of Information and Public Relations, the council reiterated its commitment to eradicating examination malpractice. “We have implemented measures to check impersonation in all our examinations,” Sani stated.
Among the measures introduced are biometric data capturing devices, customized answer booklets, and the embossing of candidates’ photographs and dates of birth on original certificates. Additionally, NECO launched the e-Verify online platform last year, allowing for the verification of results.
The public is reminded that any certificate claiming to be issued by NECO that cannot be verified through the e-Verify platform is considered fake. NECO is urging state ministries of education and school owners to ensure that only the personal details of legitimate candidates are used for registration in all NECO-conducted examinations.
Furthermore, candidates found guilty of impersonation in the recently released 2024 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) internal results have had their results withheld. This is part of NECO’s robust policy to combat all forms of examination malpractice.